Brighton Pier admission fee to double

The admission fee to go on Brighton Palace Pier is to double, it has been announced.

The tourist attraction in East Sussex introduced a £1 entry charge in May last year, citing an increase in the cost of maintaining, repairing and operating the structure.

The fee, which will not apply to some Brighton residents, is to rise to £2 from 8 March.

"The admission fee is critical in helping to meet the unique challenges and costs of preserving the pier's structural integrity, as well as continuing to remain as an all-year-round attraction," the owners said.

"We will continue to invest in the maintenance of this, the finest of all piers and an integral part of the Brighton and Hove landscape."

However, the owners said the maintenance costs for the attraction had risen by more than a third in recent years.

The fee, which will be in place until the end of September, will not apply to people who have a Brighton Palace Pier local residents card.

Last year, an additional 20,000 people signed up to the scheme, the owners said.

For non-residents, the £2 entry fee will include a £1 voucher to spend on the pier.

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